What the Boenkers Give for Christmas!

Soooo I come from the belief that one of the greatest gifts of all is a homemade one and so that is what we do for our friends Christmas presents. My parents always did this while I was growing up and I know many of our family friends looked forward to my Mom's homemade fudge sauce every year. SO last year I made three different items to give and I'm contemplating doing the same three this year, but am not 100% sure yet. These are the recipes I made last year and I know any of your friends love to receive any of them!

Oh Baby Bars from Eat, Live, Run

Oh Baby Bars from Eat, Live, Run (They should be called Oh Baby These are Addicting Bars!) For the chocolate I use chocolate chips over chocolate bars because they are less expensive!

Oh Baby Bars

makes about 48 small bars

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

7 ounces milk chocolate

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

1 T butter

Blend together the brown sugar, powdered sugar, butter and peanut butter until it reaches a smooth paste-like consistency. Press into the bottom of a nine by thirteen inch pan.

Melt the chocolate with the tablespoon of butter over very low heat (or in a microwave). Pour melted chocolate over the peanut butter crust and stick in the fridge for an hour to harden.

Cut into squares and serve!

Seasoned Oyster Crackers from Allrecipes

Next up we have Seasoned Oyster Crackers...these are SO addicting and SO yummy! They are great to have out at holiday parties and all the ingredients are inexpensive!

Prep Time:
10 Min

Cook Time:
15 Min

Ready In:
25 Min

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 2 (16 ounce) packages oyster crackers

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix the canola oil, ranch dressing mix, dill, lemon pepper, granulated garlic, onion powder, seasoned salt, and white pepper until thoroughly combined. Gently mix the crackers with the seasonings, tossing to coat the crackers with the seasoned oil. Spread the crackers out onto a jelly roll pan in a single layer.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the crackers are very lightly browned at the edges, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring to bake other sides halfway through cooking. Allow to cool completely before storing in airtight canister or resealable plastic bag.

P.S. A jelly roll pan = a rimmed baking sheet which is a MUST for this recipe!

Chocolate Banana Gingerbread from How Sweet It Is

And last but not least we have Chocolate Banana Gingerbread from How Sweet It Is...I bake this in a mini-loaf pan like this one, and it makes it SO easy! You also don't have to do the sprinkling of raw turbinado sugar on top, if you don't have any just don't worry about it. I usually wrap these in saran wrap first and then foil just to keep them extra moist.

Chocolate Banana Gingerbread

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup molasses

2 medium bananas, mashed

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup chocolate chips

2 tablespoons raw turbinado sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine flour, salt, baking soda and spices in a bowl.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and vanilla, and mix until pale yellow and smooth, about 3 minutes. Stir in molasses and mashed bananas. Add half of dry ingredients, just mixing until combined, then add buttermilk. Add remaining dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray and pour batter in. Top with raw turbinado sugar. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.